


Can Heaven Wait

by ObsidianLace



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-12
Updated: 2013-09-12
Packaged: 2017-12-26 09:34:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/964380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObsidianLace/pseuds/ObsidianLace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Sasuke rushes to the hospital to be by Naruto's side, he prays he won't be to late.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can Heaven Wait

**Author's Note:**

> You could call this a song fic...based on Luther Vandross' song Can Heaven Wait. It's an emotionally compelling song and I can only hope this fic brings the same response.

 

 

Can Heaven Wait

 

Checking in the rearview mirror, Sasuke pulled out of his parking spot at work. What a day. Four meetings and an irate ex-girlfriend wanting child support. He snorted. As if the brat was his anyway. If he had a nickel for every annoying fling of his that wanted money….well…he’d be richer then he already was.

He looked at his clock in the dash; 7:07 was shining at him in neon blue numbers. Not as late as he’d originally thought. Actually, he’d gotten out fairly early. He pulled out of the garage with a nod to the security guard on duty. The wipers came on automatically and Sasuke let out a sigh.

Wonderful, it was raining.

  _I should go get drunk or something_ , he thought to himself, _then at least I’ll feel physically how I feel mentally_. The more he thought about it, the more the idea of getting trashed appealed to him. It was Friday after all and he had the whole weekend free. Making a decision, he made a u-turn at the light and headed towards downtown.

His stomach chose that moment to growl, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten anything since that quick half a sandwich at noon. He started searching the strips on the street for something that looked appetizing. Finally settling on a fast food place, he drove through the drive thru and ordered something deep-fried and fattening. Ignoring the flirtatious glances of the girl at the window, he drove off.

With a fry in his mouth, he glanced at the clock again; 7:25. He pulled out his cell and checked his e-mail at the light. Two new messages in his inbox, both from previous flings, both looking for money. He rolled his eyes and deleted them. As he went to toss the phone in the passenger seat, it rang. He contemplated not picking up but then noticed the number on the screen was Sakura’s.

“Yes,” he said into the phone.

“Sasuke?” Sakura’s voice came over the line, hesitant and a bit breathy. She was nervous.

Sasuke frowned.

“Yes,” he said again, making sure his voice stayed level. A nervous Sakura he wasn’t used to.

“It’s Naruto, he’s…..” she paused. “He’s in a bad situation Sasuke, he’s here in the hospital. You need to get here quickly. We….we don’t know if he’s going to make it.”

“What happened?” Sasuke said, trying to keep his voice calm while he made a u-turn in the middle of traffic and sped off in the direction of Jutendo University Hospital. He was 10 minutes away from it.

“He was hit by a car on his way back from dropping off Chouji at work. God, Sasuke, he was on the phone with me when the car hit,” her voice wavered. She was crying silently, he knew she was. “Please hurry, Sasuke. I don’t know how long he’s going to last.”

“I’m coming, stay with him,” Sasuke slammed the phone shut on the last of her words.

Naruto. The only good thing in his life. Was hurt, possibly dying in the hospital. No, no it’s not possible. Naruto _cannot_ die.

Sasuke put his foot down hard on the petal when he hit the freeway; cops be-damned. His car became a streak of blue as it pushed 100mph.

Why? Why him. Why Naruto? If anyone should be lying broken it should be Sasuke, not Naruto. _Hold on, I’m coming. Don’t you dare die on me._

Slowing down, he pulled up to the Hospital’s parking lot. He didn’t park but instead drove right up to the doors and hopped out, leaving his car keys with a guard he vaguely recognized. His mind still in calm chaos, he headed for the desk to find out which room Naruto had been placed in. Suddenly he spotted a long blonde ponytail against purple scrubs across the lobby.

“Ino,” he called out, catching her before she got on the elevator.

Ino turned around as she heard her name and nearly cried with relief as she saw Sasuke surging towards her. 

“Thank God! I’ve been looking for you for 5 minutes. He’s this way,” she grabbed his jacket sleeve and pulled him into the elevator. “It’s not good Sasuke. The car was totaled and he had to be cut out of the wreckage,” she took a deep breath as she pushed the button for the 4th floor. The arm under her fingers trembled.

“How,” Sasuke said quietly.

“He’d just dropped off Chouji and was heading home when a car skidded on the wet road and smashed into him. His car flipped on its side and hit the side of a building.” Ino didn’t tell him that she had been sitting with Sakura while she was on the phone with him. How she’d heard the whole thing. Or how the last thing they heard from Naruto, had been Sasuke’s name.

The elevator doors opened and they both got out. Ino took Sasuke by the shoulder and steered him to Naruto’s room. They passed the nurse’s station and took a left down the sterile hallway. Too soon and not soon enough they stood outside Naruto’s door.

Ino looked at Sasuke and hesitated with her hand on the door. Sasuke put his hand atop hers and pushed the door open. Inside, Sakura was standing, checking the heart monitor by the bed. She glanced up at the sound of the door opening and immediately stopped what she was doing to go over and wrap her arms around both Sasuke and Ino. They held the teary eyed woman for a moment till she let them go. Sakura took a deep breath and composed herself.

“He’s in a coma,” she said, tone professional. “He has a broken leg and 4 of his ribs are almost broken in half. Multiple lacerations, a collapsed lung, concussion and possible brain damage.” She turned and walked back to the bed and grabbed Naruto’s chart from the end of it. “We just got him back from surgery to set the leg and re-inflate his lung. He’s had a CAT scan and X-rays, the final results should be here soon,” she paused, Sasuke wasn’t even looking at her. In fact, it didn’t look as though he’d heard anything she said. She took Ino’s arm and started to pull her from the room. “Come on, we’ll come back when the results are here.”

“But…” Ino started. She was concerned for her friend. Sasuke looked so pale, almost like he was going to faint. His dark, nearly black eyes were wide and confused. In fact, his entire frame radiated confusion. But this was Sasuke and Sasuke did not show emotion. Yet, there he stood, his pale features ghostly, hands in fists by his side, looking helpless. Yes, Ino was very concerned.

“Leave them. We’ll be right back. He just needs a minute.” With that, Sakura pulled her from the room and quietly shut the door.

Sasuke’s mind was fully focused on the sight before him. For a full minute he stood there looking at Naruto lying on the hospital bed. Finally, his brain began to process what his eyes were seeing. Something just wasn’t right. His gaze roved over the form on the bed, trying to figure it out.

 Naruto was lying on the plain white cotton sheets of the hospital bed. A portion of the sheet was pulled away from the bottom to accommodate the white cast being held up in traction. Too much white. Naruto never slept on white sheets. Sasuke didn’t even think he owned a white article of clothing.

His skin had a gray tinge, with purplish bruises surrounding stitched up lacerations. He was pale. He wasn’t supposed to be pale. Naruto had beautiful tan skin. Skin that always looked as if he’d just come from a long day at the beach.

His blue eyes shouldn’t be closed. They should be open, looking at Sasuke with amusement. Even his hair, his bright, spiky blonde hair, was dull and lackluster. Only a small bit at the top showing over the clean white bandage wrapped around his head.

A muted click made Sasuke’s eyes flicker to a machine by the head of the bed. He watched the accordion shaped thing inside a plastic container go up and down. That machine was the only thing keeping Naruto breathing. Sasuke moved closer to the bed. He had an urge to snatch the tube out of his mouth. That slack mouth was supposed to be laughing, talking, calling him a workaholic, not not moving.

That was it. That’s what made the whole thing abnormal.

Naruto was never still, he was always moving. Even when sitting quietly reading, his fingers were tapping or his foot was jerking up and down.

Sasuke couldn’t breath. That was not his Naruto. This was wrong. Obscene.

He fell to his knees beside the bed; head barely touching a cool bandaged hand on the sheets. Even that was wrong. Naruto was never cold. He was the warmest person Sasuke’d ever met. Why? Oh God why? This was wrong. It shouldn’t be him. Not Naruto.

“It should be me,” he whispered.

He never thought that anything could happen to Naruto. Death of the vibrant man had simply never occurred to him.

Death.

The word echoed in his mind, spinning and whirling till it pushed all other thoughts out of his head. No. Death would not take Naruto.

Sasuke put his hand on top of the man’s lying in the bed. He felt helpless, lost, but he’d be damned if he’d let Naruto die. He’d give anything to trade places with him right now. Anything.

“Wake up,” he whispered to the still form on the bed. “Please….just wake up. Take my breath so you can breathe. Take my strength; take it all, if that’s what you need. Just please wake up.”

Sasuke stared at Naruto’s face, hoping to see something, some flicker of a sign that he heard him. For several minutes he stayed that way, kneeling by the bedside of his friend. The only sounds being the machines and Sasuke’s increasingly harsh breathing.

“Tell me, tell me what is it going to take to keep you in my life? What can I do? What do you need? Please, Naruto,” his voice cracked and he choked out a hard sob. “I’ll give anything.”

Still no response.

Sasuke hung his head, forehead resting on the cool hand. He’d never even told him that he loved him. He thought he’d always be there, that there’d be time for all that later.  He remembered all the excuses he told him, the lies, about where he went when he was out with some woman. He never acknowledged him publicly as more then ‘just a friend’. The only ones who knew they were lovers were Sakura and Ino. He thought he’d had time. He was going to tell him, tell everyone, that he loved him.

Sasuke gave a harsh laugh. Yeah right. Who was he kidding? He would have kept on doing just what he was doing if…if this hadn’t happened. How cliché. ‘You don’t know what you have till it’s gone.’ Shit.

But no, he’s not gone. He lifted his head and felt moisture on his cheeks.

“Look at that, Naruto. I can cry after all,” he whispered. Guilt weighed heavy on him as he looked at Naruto’s face. He’d always teased Sasuke on his apathy. Saying that it would take a jack hammer to crack that frozen look on his face. God, if he’d just wake up he would….do….say….something, anything.

“I can’t even think straight anymore. There’s no rhyme or reason in my life with you lying here this way,” he gave another harsh laugh. _Look at me. How he’d laugh if he could see me tearing up like a girl._ He laughed again, this time it was softer, more amused. God, even unconscious and near death that man could make him laugh.

It wasn’t fair. Naruto was so good to so many people. Always going out of his way to help them. He was a Social Worker for God sake! Sasuke’d lost count of how many kids he’s helped over the years he’d known him. He was a good person, a wonderful person.

And Sasuke was a total ass for ever hurting him.

“Is that it? Is that what you want me to see? That I’m an ass for hurting him,” Sasuke’s voice was soft, his face tilted up. All those times he’d wasted going on dates with some woman he didn’t even care about, when he could have been with Naruto.

He got a flashback of darkened blue eyes as he spouted off some barely believable story as he broke off a meeting with him. Naruto knew, but he never let on that he knew Sasuke was lying. Smiling, he’d let him go. It was so clear to Sasuke now. Now that it was too late to say sorry. To late to….

_NO!_

He violently shook his head, making his black hair fly around. Already on his knees, he clasped his hands together and bowed his head.

“Please God, please don’t let him die. I’ll change. I swear it. I’ll cherish everyday I have with him if you just don’t take him from me. He’ll never be hurt by my foolishness. I-I’ll never leave his side if d-don’t let him l-leave mine. Please. Oh God…. _please_. Can’t heaven wait just one night? Just one. So I can t-tell him….talk t-to him. God p-please, _please_ j-just one m-more night!” Openly sobbing now, he fell the rest of the way to the floor.

“Sasuke?”

Sasuke’s eyes flew open at the unexpected voice and he bolted upright so fast that his head spun with dizziness.

“N-Naruto?” he said incredulously; Mouth working and tears still streaming down his face.

“No Sasuke, it’s me.”

He swung his head from the bed to the voice coming from behind him.

Itachi stood in the doorway. He stepped into the room and shut the door quietly behind him.

Sasuke had been so caught up in his own emotions that he’d never heard the door open. Even now all he could do was stare dumbly at his brother as he crossed the room and sat heavily in a chair. They looked at each other for a full minute, until Itachi broke the silent stare down with a sigh. He shifted in the chair and the movement brought attention to the sling holding his arm in place. Once Sasuke had noticed that, he began to notice other things. Namely the stitched up scar on his brother’s forehead and the general beat up look that he was sporting.

“What the hell happened to you? Why are you even in Tokyo?” he asked, tone sharp and angry. He was furious that he had caught him in such a display of weakness. How dare Itachi even show his face at all after what he did.

“I was in a car accident. Though I’m surprised you care what happened to me,” Itachi said blithely. “And, it’s none of your business,” he looked Sasuke in the eyes.

“It damn well is my business! I told you I never wanted to see you here again. You’d think after damn near killing our parents in that fire you wouldn’t want to be seen,” Sasuke hissed at him. He stood but stayed where he was. Itachi’s form blurred and Sasuke swiped an angry hand across his eyes to get rid of the tears still clinging to them.

Itachi said nothing. He watched Sasuke wipe away the tears on his face, leaving faint moisture still glittering in his eyelashes. Dark eyes took in the tear-streaked face, messy hair and disheveled clothes. His little brother looked like shit. He concluded that the man on the bed must mean a lot to him for him to be so…emotional.

Sasuke struggled to pull himself together under that dark assessing gaze. He felt like a kid again and had to stop himself from squirming. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When they stopped being shaky, he opened them and gazed back.

“Leave,” he said, voice steady and unemotional.

A single black eyebrow rose. Itachi looked to the figure on the bed and Sasuke moved to block his line of sight. The other eyebrow rose. Oh yes, that man means a lot to him.

“Very well, Sasuke. I was being released and thought I’d stop in to see if he was still alive,” Itachi smirked at his brother’s confused look and stood up. He turned and walked to the door. With a hand pushing the door open he said, “We will not meet again.”

The door closed leaving a very confused Sasuke alone again in the cold room. What the hell did he mean ‘stop in to see if he’s still alive’? Did he know Naruto? Confused dark eyes rested on Naruto’s still form.

“Sasuke, I’ve got the final results of the CAT scan and X-ray’s back,” Sakura said, coming into the room briskly and holding an x-ray picture to the light.

All thoughts of his brother flew out of his head and he walked over to Sakura so he could look at the X-ray with her. He silently listened as she explained what the black splotches and fracture lines where, as well as what the next plan of action was to take care of them. Sasuke let himself be soothed by her confident tone.

“So you can save him?” he asked.

“We believe we can,” Sakura sighed. “It all depends on him. On how much he’s going to fight to survive,” she gave a low chuckle. “But knowing him, we don’t need to worry about that. He is nothing if not stubborn as hell,” she laughed out loud when Sasuke’s worried look vanished and he gave a chuckle of his own. Her green eyes softened and she placed a hand on his cheek. “How are you holding up, Sasuke? And don’t pull that ‘I’m fine’ crap with me either. I know you better.”

Sasuke swallowed hard. Tears traced down the paths left by their predecessors.

“Oh, Sasuke. I know. When he first came in I felt like my heart would bleed,” her fingers wiped the fresh tears off his face. Secretly she marveled at the change that Naruto’s tragedy had wrought on him. If someone, besides Naruto, had told her that Sasuke Uchiha had cried in front of them, she’d be checking them for brain injuries.

“He’s going to be alright,” he said, as if he just needed to here the words spoken out loud to make them real.

“Yeah, he will be. I’m going to go get Ino and one of the orderlies and we’re going to take him up to surgery. This time we’re going to relieve some of the pressure I showed you from his brain. It shouldn’t take more then a few hours. Depending on how it goes, he’ll be in a different room afterwards. So I want you to go wait in the waiting room, ok?” she quirked an eyebrow at him.

When he nodded, she walked away from him to the door. Right before she got to it she paused. Her head bowed for a moment and she seemed to be thinking.

“Sakura?”

“Sasuke, Ino thought that you didn’t need to know this but, well, I think it would do you good to know. Naruto…when we where on the phone with him, right before, you know,” she paused and took a steadying breath. “The last thing we heard from him was your name. His last thoughts were of you,” she smiled at his shocked, widened eyes. Then she walked out the door.

He went to stand back by the bedside of his friend…no…love. His last words as that car hit had been his name. God how he loved this man.

“You better fight. If you die, I’m coming after you to drag you back to me. You know how possessive I can be,” he whispered to him. “I love you and you’re not getting away from me till I tell you that. Hear me?”

The heart monitor beeped loudly. It was almost like it was responding to the question.

Ino, Sakura and an orderly that Sasuke didn’t know came into the room and started unhooking Naruto from the various tubes and lines connecting him to the machines. In no time, Naruto was wheeled away and Sasuke was left alone to find his way to the waiting room.

He walked slowly out of the room, head down, thinking. The elevator pinged down the hallway. Nurses murmured to each other and an older lady made painstaking progress towards him on a walker. None of it was enough to catch his attention. He needed a distraction or he was going to choke someone in his frustration. Ok, maybe not choke someone. But he would definitely punch something, probably the wall. Too bad his brother had left. Now him he could punch.

As if the very thought of his brother was permission, memories of their recent encounter flooded back into his mind.

_‘I was in a car accident…’_

_‘…thought I’d stop in to see if he was still alive.’_

_‘…being released…’_

And then from nowhere, Sakura’s voice.

_‘The last thing we heard from him was your name.’_

Oh my God.

Sasuke stopped dead in the middle of the waiting room, which he didn’t even remember walking to, and began to hyperventilate. An older gentleman came over to ask him what was wrong. Tried to get him to sit down and put his head between his knees. But Sasuke’s vision had gone red and all he heard was the same quotes over and over like a skipped recording. Suddenly, a sharp, stinging pain brought him back to himself.

He blinked and looked thorough his hair at the person who’d just slapped him. Shikamaru looked back at him with his hand slightly raised, just in case he needed to slap him again to get his attention.

“Sasuke, calm down or I’ll smack you again,” he said sharply, his normal bored facade showing true annoyance and worry.

“It was him. He hit him. And I just let him go,” Sasuke said faintly; half to himself and half to Shikamaru. He didn’t move, didn’t even right his head, just stared off in to the distance. “He saw him and thought it was me in the car. He said my name. He thought it was me.”

Shikamaru was a bit confused by Sasuke’s soft ramblings. He took his arm and led him to a couch away from the other few people in the room. They all gave him and the distraught man a pitying look but backed off and let them have some privacy.

“Sasuke, what are you talking about? Ino called me and told me get up here because Naruto’d been hurt in a car wreck. Is that who you’re talking about?” he tried to hang on to his bored tone but seeing Sasuke so upset and distant was making him nervous. Never before had he seen Sasuke act like this.

He didn’t get an answer from Sasuke, however. Sasuke’s skin was looking flushed and his dark eyes were black with emotion.

“Hey Sasuke? Is this about Itachi? I saw him being led away by the cops when I first arrived.”

“What!?” Sasuke’s head shot up and he stared at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru’s eyes widened and he put his hands up in a defensive gesture.

“Yeah, he was being arrested for drunk driving. Was it….did he hit Naruto?” His quick mind put the factors together and he looked to Sasuke with a questioning glance.

Sasuke’s shocked and pained face was all the answer Shikamaru needed. They sat there for a moment, Sasuke looking stunned and Shikamaru looking tired and thoughtful. Someone turned on the TV in the corner and the sounds of some Friday night comedy show filled the room.

“So, he’s been arrested?” Sasuke asked in a subdued but thankfully normal tone.

“That’s what I saw.”

Shikamaru yawned and leaned back, keeping Sasuke in the corner of his eye. The other man was thoughtful. He’d never seen him so….expressive before. He watched as flashes of anger, pain, worry, depression and anxiety flitted one after the other across Sasuke’s face. For two hours neither of them moved. Shikamaru fell asleep after the first 30 minutes. Sasuke sat and brooded. He knew that Shikamaru wasn’t lying about Itachi. If the man said he saw him being arrested then Itachi had been arrested. Of course, Sasuke was going to make sure that he stayed in jail for a long time. He had dirt on his older brother that he bet his brother didn’t even know he had. He wasn’t a young, successful lawyer for nothing. He’d been keeping tabs on Itachi ever since he’d left.

Oh yeah, that man was going to pay for hurting Naruto.

Ino popped her head into the waiting area and looked around till she spotted Sasuke in a darkened corner with a sleeping Shikamaru next to him. She walked over and kneeled in front of them, nudging Shikamaru in the process to wake him up.

Sasuke’s heart was in his throat. He couldn’t even get out the question he so wanted to ask. So instead, he let the question be seen in his pleading eyes.

Ino smiled.

He started crying, then sobbing. He clung to Ino and sobbed into her scrub top with utter relief. The man next to him patted his back awkwardly.

_He’s going to be all right. He’s going to be fine. He’s going to live!_ Sasuke was ecstatic. Naruto was going to live.

“I want to see him. Can I see him?” he asked hurriedly.

“In another half hour you can. We need to get him situated in his new room. As soon as we do that, I’ll come get you. I promise,” Ino said, still smiling. “Hey Shika, can you go pick up Chouji? He’s still at work and since Naruto usually drops him off and picks him up…”

“Yeah, yeah. At least I can tell him Naruto’s going to be ok. He’d worry himself sick thinkin' it was his fault or something.” Shikamaru stood up and arched his back, working out the kinks from sleeping slumped on the couch. He walked off tossing a ‘See ya’ over his shoulder.

“Lazy,” Ino said and shook her head. “I’ll be right back Sasuke.” She gave him a pat on his hand and left to go see to Naruto.

Sasuke watched her leave with a light heart. He felt, as sappy as it sounds, like singing in happiness. He caught the eye of a lady sitting near the open double doors of the room and she gave him a smile. Her gnarled fingers were working a rosary bead back and forth. She looked to be in her late fifties, with lightly graying brown hair styled short. She stood up and walked over to Sasuke.

“I’m happy for you young man. Looks like God’s answered your prayers,” she beamed at him.

“Yes, yes he did. The man I love is alive and going to be fine,” Sasuke told her. He patted the spot next to him and the lady sat down.

“That’s wonderful. Have you known him long?”

“Yes, we met in middle school.” He smiled softly at her.

“Ahh, you’re just like me and my husband. Bless his soul. He’s still in surgery right now. Been in there for nearly 3 hours,” her tone turned worried and her eyes flicked to the door.

“What happened, if I may ask? I don’t want to upset you if it’s too painful to talk about,” Sasuke said.

The woman smiled at him. He could see the tracks her tears had made through her make-up and it reminded him of his own tear-streaked face. Never had he felt so close to a total stranger. Is this what Naruto saw when looked around at people? Just looked around till he found a little bit of himself?

“So polite for such a young man. He, my husband, had a heart attack; his third one. Poor dear. He was in so much pain waiting for the ambulance.” She wiped a stray tear from her eye.

Sasuke put his hand on the woman’s. His hand covered both of hers and the rosary she was holding. He looked down at it and touched the little hanging Jesus.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Not only does he have the best doctors working on him but he has your prayers.”

The lady closed her eyes, brought his hand up to her mouth and kissed it. Giving it a motherly pat, she released it again.

“Thank you, baby.  I’ll keep that in mind.”

Sakura watched Sasuke and Mrs. Fuji interacting from the doorway with awe. _Oh Naruto, if only you could see this._ She thought. Gathering herself, she walked over to them. Sasuke saw her coming and stood, a hopeful look on his face.

“You can see him now. Follow me. I’ll tell you about everything while we walk,” she said as she drew near. “ Mrs. Fuji, your husband is being stitched up as we speak. The operation was a success. Your doctor should be out within the hour to talk with you but I knew you’d want to know as soon as possible.” She gave the tired looking woman a warm smile and let Sasuke pull her from the room.

“Good bye Mrs. Fuji. I told you he would be fine,” Sasuke said to her.

Mrs. Fuji grinned at the obviously torn man. He wanted to be sympathetic to her but at the same time was desperate to get to his boyfriend. He had his hand on the doctor’s arm and was inching to the door while still looking at her and smiling distractedly.

“Go on, dear. Go to him. Give him my love for me.” Mrs. Fuji laughed. She made a shooing motion with her hand.

“Thank you,” he said gratefully and dragged Sakura from the room.

Sakura took the lead when they got out of the door and made a left down the hallway to the elevators. On the way she told Sasuke about the surgery. Using medical terms in a long-winded speech until Sasuke gave her a ‘look’. She laughed and got on the elevator.

“Basically, we were able to stop the pressure build up and there’s going to be no permanent damage. His leg will heal and there will be minimal scaring,” she summed up with a grin. “The best part is, he’s conscious,” her grin widened.

Sasuke’s breath left him and he had to put a hand out to steady himself when he walked off the elevator.

“That’s….oh God….that’s wonderful,” he said. He turned and gave her a quick hug and a smile. “Thank you for saving him, Sakura.”

Sakura blushed and slapped his shoulder lightly. Walking down the hall, Sasuke started to walk faster and faster. Not quite running but not far from it. Sakura thought he looked like a different man. She liked it, although, it was going to take some getting used to.

Sasuke didn’t even pause at the door to Naruto’s room. He simply read the name and walked in ahead of Sakura.

There, on the bed, surrounded by white sheets, was a tiredly smiling Naruto. His blue eyes were open, his mouth moving, telling Ino something. Sasuke didn’t hear whatever was being said. That was his Naruto. His wonderful, moving, _alive_ love. Sasuke felt tears starting again.

“Naruto,” he said wonderingly. “Naruto.”

Naruto turned his eyes to Sasuke and smiled fully.

“Sas...” Naruto coughed a bit and Ino held a cup of water to his lips. He took a drink. “Sasuke.”

Sasuke moved to the bed, tripping on a chair because his eyes refused to look anywhere but Naruto’s. Naruto laughed hoarsely and held out a hand for Sasuke to take.

“Naruto. Naruto. Naruto,” Sasuke repeated his name over and over; tears starting to fall again and him not caring in the least. These were happy tears.

Sakura went over to Ino and hugged her from behind. They shared a look and smiled at each other before turning to the two men. Sasuke was still saying Naruto’s name softly, touching his face like he was going to break if he pressed to hard. His tears fell freely and Naruto was trying to soothe him. Trying to wipe the tears away but his arm was shaking from weakness so he put it back down.

Ino heard a knock at the door and went to open it. Chouji, Shikamaru, Hinata, Neji, Kiba and Haku were all standing outside in the hall. It had been Shikamaru who’d knocked and Ino was glad for the other’s insight. She eased out of the door and addressed them all.

“He’s fine. Nothing permanent, though he did scare us for a moment. He’s resting right now and he can have visitors in the morning after 9.”

Kiba tried to get Ino to let them in ‘just for a damn minute!’ but Hinata and Haku grabbed an arm apiece and dragged him off. The others followed them, Shikamaru whining about how troublesome it had been to drive all the way back for nothing. Chouji and Neji just sent Ino and the newly emerged Sakura a look that said they’d pump them for information in the morning.

“Doctor.” A nurse walked up to Sakura and handed her a chart. “You’re needed in exam room three right away,” he said hurriedly, already walking to the room mentioned.

“Right. Ino…stay close but give them some time,” she said before going after the nurse.

Ino nodded to her retreating back. She went to the nurse’s station and grabbed a rolling chair so she could sit next to the door. Pulling the chair behind her she placed it to the side of Naruto’s door and out of the way of anyone who might need to get down the hall in a hurry.

Inside the room, Naruto and Sasuke were looking at each other. Sasuke was still touching Naruto’s face randomly, softly.

“Naruto,” Sasuke said softly, voice as hoarse as the other mans.

“I know my name, Sasuke. You gonna as’ me somethin’ or what?” he said tiredly.

“I love you.”

“I knew that,” Naruto chuckled.

“I’m sorry.”

“Nothin’ to be sorry bout.”

“I love you.”

“You ‘ready said tha’” Naruto said. His brow furrowed.

“I love you.”

Naruto sighed and smiled in to Sasuke’s eyes. What he saw there made him so happy that he wished he wasn’t so weak so he could have hugged the other man.

“I love you too.”


End file.
